As the weather begins to warm, the Los Angeles Zoo and California Poison Control System are observing National Poison Prevention Week by reminding all California residents to be aware of rattlesnakes that are waking up from hibernation. There are about 300-400 snake bites treated each year in Southern California. If you are bitten by snake you are advised to get to a hospital as soon as possible. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

After a wet winter, a warmer spring that began Wednesday will send hordes into the great outdoors just as the local snake population awakens from a long hibernation, setting up a dangerous scenario resulting in snakebites and emergency room visits, experts warned.

The above-average rainfall ushered in more insects, not to mention the super blooms of wildflowers and a migration of Painted Lady butterflies — all food for rodents. This bounty creates a buffet for mice, gophers and ground squirrels, which sets the table for the Southern Pacific rattlesnake, the most common venomous snake living in Southern California mountains, canyons and even some backyards.

In short, this display of nature may be great for hungry rattlesnakes — but for the unsuspecting outdoor adventurer, it’s hiker beware.

Already, a person and dog were bit in separate incidents while wandering the uber-popular Walker Canyon poppy fields in Lake Elsinore this past weekend.

“Between now and September is what we call snakebite season,” Dr. Cyrus Rangan, assistant medical director of the California Poison Control Center, said during a press briefing at the Los Angeles Zoo on Wednesday.

The center fields about 300-400 calls for snakebites each year, mostly during spring and summer, Rangan said. Treatment at a hospital with antivenom leads to full recovery. If untreated for more than eight hours, the venom can eat away at the tissue under the skin, resulting in lost fingers or damaged organs, he said.

“Death is quite rare,” he added.

If bitten, Rangan said simply get to a hospital. Don’t kill the snake and absolutely ignore practices seen in old Westerns, he said.

“Skip all the cowboy remedies, like tying a tourniquet or sucking out the venom,” Rangan said. “All those things have been proven not to help or make it worse.”

A Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, the most common in Southern California, has rough skin and the ability to camouflage itself. The snake comes out of hibernation in spring. It’s rattle is a sign that it is getting nervous. It’s teeth are like plungers in hypodermic needles that inject poison into their prey. “As spring brings in warmer weather, Angelenos can expect to see an increase of rattlesnake and other animal sightings,” Recchio said. (Photo by Ian Recchio, LA Zoo).

Of course, the best advice is to avoid snakes by staying on the trail. Better still, if you see one in the wild, don’t try to move it out of the way or antagonize it, Rangan said, adding a rattlesnake is a lot quicker than a human and will strike when provoked.

Most rattlesnakes in California are shy, defensive creatures, looking to stay far away from humans, said Ian Recchio, curator of reptiles and amphibians at the LA Zoo. Right now, they are looking for a mate or are already breeding. Hatchlings are expected in August and September.

“If you are lucky enough to see a snake in the wild, observe it from a distance, say hello to it and just enjoy it. You can take a picture and post it on social media,” Recchio said.

At the 3,869-acre Puente-Whittier Hills preserve, rattlesnakes are active. “Yes, as warm weather approaches all the reptiles will emerge. We’ve already had baby rattlesnakes spotted this season,” said Terri Hernandez, interpretive programs coordinator of the Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority.

The scientific community is divided on what effects the rain will have on the rattlesnake population.

Recchio doesn’t expect increased numbers this year. However, females may have larger litters because of the abundance of food, leading to a spike next year. “In subsequent years, we may see more rattlesnakes,” he said.

On the other hand, Dr. Richard Clark, medical director of the San Diego division of the state poison control system, said the abundance of food could increase the snake population later this year. With more humans hiking that could spell trouble.

“When there is a lot more precipitation it probably promotes more bites,” Clark said during a phone interview Wednesday.

Steve Scauzillo covers environment and transportation for the Southern California News Group. He has won two journalist of the year awards from the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club and is a recipient of the Aldo Leopold Award for Distinguished Editorial Writing on environmental issues. Steve studied biology/chemistry when attending East Meadow High School and Nassau College in New York (he actually loved botany!) and then majored in social ecology at UCI until switching to journalism. He also earned a master's degree in media from Cal State Fullerton. He has been an adjunct professor since 2005. Steve likes to take the train, subway and bicycle – sometimes all three – to assignments and the newsroom. He is married to Karen E. Klein, a former journalist with Los Angeles Daily News, L.A. Times, Bloomberg and the San Fernando Valley Business Journal and now vice president of content management for a bank. They have two grown sons, Andy and Matthew. They live in Pasadena. Steve recently watched all of “Star Trek” the remastered original season one on Amazon, so he has an inner nerd.